Walker has gone by way of his justifiable share of turbulence to get to the NFL, which appeared to come back pouring out when he obtained the draft name from DeCosta.
He tore his ACL whereas coaching only a few months earlier than his school profession was set to start. He requested his launch from his letter of intent from East Tennessee State and stayed house to rehab his knee (he obtained a job at Bojangles to pay for his coaching). He entered the next recruiting class and obtained a proposal from North Carolina Central, however they canceled their 2020 season due to COVID.
Walker was on the transfer once more, this time transferring to Kent State, the place he noticed sparse taking part in time his first yr and caught simply 5 passes. He broke out in 2022, making 58 catches for 921 yards and 11 touchdowns. When his head coach left, he re-entered the switch portal and picked North Carolina as a result of it was near his ailing grandmother.
However, the NCAA denied surprisingly denied his switch request, which led to his having to take a seat out (he nonetheless was a part of the scout workforce). After a number of appeals and backlash (together with from the governor of North Carolina), Walker reportedly made plans to sue the NCAA. The NCAA reversed its determination on Oct. 5 and deemed Walker eligible for the remaining eight video games of the 2023 season.
After being drafted, Walker stated he is blissful that is all in the previous and that he is simply blissful he obtained again on the sphere to indicate his abilities at a excessive degree.
“The factor that I actually like most about him is that he is encountered some athletic adversity in his life, and he is overcome,” Ravens Director of College Scouting David Blackburn stated. “He’s a very mentally powerful child, in addition to bodily powerful. He works at his craft, and he is an incredible teammate. So, exterior of these bodily traits that he has, he has plenty of intangibles as nicely.”
